Geeklawyer was busy watching the usual tosh on TV, Chav-Enders as he recalls, when up popped an advert for the latest BBC drama New Street Law. Cue John Actor, well John Thompson in fact, playing the role of, sigh, a sleazy lawyer and proud of it;
“Break the rules and you get punished. Bend them and, lets just say, ‘you get by’ ”
Voiceover: “Charlie Darling lawyer for the defence.”
We know that Blair hate lawyers because they often frustrate his rampage against civil liberties: by getting unfair laws thrown out; by defending the guilty but not yet proven guilty, sorry - ‘the accused’; by demanding fair trials. So he must have though this manna from propaganda heaven: paint the lawyers as the people’s enemy, in the way of progress, in the way of his control. He is of course motivated by the fact he is himself a jealous and bitter failed barrister.
Particularly annoying is the fact that it’s from the BBC. New Street Law is written by a former barrister, also failed one presumes, which is all the more irritating. Geeklawyer hopes his pleadings were better than his plots, but he doubts it.
Why is it always criminal law, that’s what I want to know.
Hmm. “In this week’s thrilling installment, Liadnan appears before Master Bowles on an application for security for costs.”
Maybe not.
Mind you, I have a vague recollection of one based around transactional MC solicitors, which is improbable enough.
“I have a vague recollection of one based around transactional MC solicitors”
And if that can work then I fail to see why TV audiences should be deprived of my design rights drama.
Having located it, the answer may lie in the words:
“Trust will not be returning for a second series…”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/trust/
Ruthie figured out some time ago that reducing the availability and funding for skilled criminal defence lawyers is an effective way to increase the conviction rate. Therefore this latest programme will only increase public support for the latest assault on the provision of criminal legal aid in the form of the Carter Report. Most legal aid criminal defence lawyers earn less per hour than plumbers. And whilst criminal advocacy is the sexiest job on the planet it’s very hard to look sexy when you’ve spent all night in the police station, and the whole of the next morning trying to applying for bail, before falling asleep face down in the burger that you snatched between the court and the office.
Civil law may be dull…but it is, well, civil.
Regular readers will know that Ruthie does not watch much TV, but one of the most irritating legal series Ruthie has ever seen is Judge John Deede. The levels of sexual activity portrayed are probably quite accurate but significant amounts of artistic licence have been applied to the law of evidence and procedure. For Ruthie it was a choice to switch off or throw things.
A more realistic legal series would include the following: hours spent hanging around at court with a Maxpax coffee machine that only accepts 20 pence pieces. Lawyers queueing up to get into the cells. Prisoners arriving at lunchtime etc. etc…
…and what is a transactional MC solicitor please?
Civil law may be dull…but it is, well, civil.
Bwaha hahaha … No please; Ruthie stop, you’re killing me.
You’re just jealous cos I get more comments on my posts than you.
No, amused. Only a resolutely criminal litigator would imagine civil litigation to be civilised.
Criminal litigation is brutal. But Ruthie bemoans the erosion of the right to jury trial. The brutality of the English criminal adversarial system has historically produced some of the best advocates in the world. Clever, wise and entertaining. Some are crap as well its true, but the market is quite efficient at weeding out the dross.
…and what is a transactional MC solicitor please?
Sorry, poor phrasing which I shall blame on hayfever. MC as in magic circle.
Essentially it was about bods in the City putting deals together, doing what the bankers tell them, and sleeping in the office. At least that’s how I remember it. Starred Robson Green and, weirdly, Ian McShane as the sinister senior partner.
thanks for this article